Yesterday, after a business meeting I had in DC wrapped up, I decided to stop for a detour on my way to the airport. I was able to take a tour of the US Capitol building and it was highly educational!

The tour was very well organized. You pick up a ticket in the Capitol Visitor’s Center and fortunately, I was just in time for the very next tour.

looking down into the main foyer – full size model of the statue Freedom that sits atop the dome

It started with a short video, “Out of Many, One” that gives a historical overview of the building. Then, we split up into tour groups. Each of us in the group wore audio headsets that allowed our tour guide to speak directly to us and only us.

What a great way to do this!

We started the tour in the Rotunda, where we learned about the room itself, the artwork in the room – along the walls and in the center of the dome, and the statues.

The tour then moved to the National Statuary Hall to learn about all the statues throughout the building. This room used to be the original House chamber. The history behind the statues is interesting – each state was allowed to donate two statues of anyone they wanted, so long as the person was deceased. And, statues could be made of marble or bronze.

I think my favorite statue of all the ones I saw was this one of King Kamehameha I in the Visitor’s Center. It weighs over 6 tons!

After the National Statuary Hall, we visited the Capitol Crypt, which was built to be the final resting place of Thomas Jefferson. He died well before it was finished. The columns and archways provide support for the Rotunda and Dome above.

All-in-all, the tour lasted about 30 minutes. It was so well worth the time! I learned so much and I highly recommend a visit.

I have so many more pictures and details in my online album that you can check out!

Last year, I knit Kalonji a Dr. Who 4th Doctor scarf for Christmas. Then, I crocheted myself a 4th Doctor “inspired” scarf to match him. Then, I decided I liked the colors so much that I wanted to make us a 4th Doctor-inspired bedspread. Six months later, I’ve finally finished it. We have a queen-sized bed and this is the largest crochet project I’ve done. I’m hooked (pun intended) and want to make more bedspreads!